Michael DeMocker/The Times-PicayuneChanges in laboratory conditions at the Northwestern State University Aquaculture Research Center caused this crawfish to turn blue.

White tigers? Yes. Albino alligators? Heard of that.

But blue crawfish?

You better believe it.

A new exhibit at the Audubon Insectarium features a rare and unexpected member of the "Red Swamp" crawfish species. What's different? You guessed it. It's blue.

"Most visitors ask if they taste the same," said Jayme Necaise, director of animals and visitor programs at the Audubon Insectarium, located in the U.S. Custom House on Canal Street. "None of us have ever had the heart to put them in a pot and boil them up."

Michael DeMocker/The Times-PicayuneIn the wild, one of about every 10,000 crawfish is blue.

The crawfish on display aren't actually the blue critters that are found in the wild. Experts estimate about 1 of every 10,000 turn that color.

Instead, they are crawfish that Juliette Delabbio, director of Northwestern State University's Aquaculture Research Center, turned blue in her lab by altering the crustaceans' environment. Delabbio is expected to publish a paper soon on the blue crawfish phenomenon.

Audubon officials says the color change is likely the result of factors such as the crustaceans' diet, the water they live in, and their exposure to light.

Though it's extremely rare to stumble upon a blue crawfish, "we occasionally get calls from local seafood companies," Necaise said.

Still, he expects most New Orleanians have "never seen anything like this before."

Audubon officials hope to make the exhibit a semi-permanent display. The life expectancy of a blue crawfish is about a year in the wild, and up to three years in captivity.

"As long as she (Delabbio) can continue to produce blue ones for us, we'll continue to keep the exhibit up and running," Necaise said.